Population Health Institute
Translating Research for Policy and Practice

Wisconsin Healthy Communities Bronze Designees

The following communities achieved a Bronze designation from the Wisconsin Healthy Communities program.

Appleton

Population: 74,598
Lead Applicant: Appleton Health Department

Appleton is located in the Fox River Valley of northeastern Wisconsin and is part of one of the fastest growing urban areas in the State of Wisconsin. Appleton prides itself on diversity and inclusion, in addition to being a hub for industry and education.

Initiatives:

  • Weight of the Fox Valley

  • Community Health Action Team

  • Breastfeeding Alliance of Northeast Wisconsin (BFAN)

Bayside

Population: 4,389
Lead Applicant: Village of Bayside

The Village of Bayside borders the western shores of Lake Michigan, located primarily in northern Milwaukee County. Bayside is located in a region known as the North Shore, which is comprised of the Village of Bayside, Village of Brown Deer, Village of Fox Point, City of Glendale, Village of River Hills, Village of Shorewood, and Village of Whitefish Bay.

Initiatives:

  • Community Event Program

  • Speed Enforcement Detection Devices

  • Swimming Pool Fencing

  • Question, Persuade, and Referral (QPR)

  • Ellsworth Park Playground Expansion

Cable

Population: 825
Lead Applicant: Town of Cable

Nestled in the 850,000-acre Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest in Northern Wisconsin, Cable provides an outstanding setting for outdoor enthusiasts and offers healthy lifestyle opportunities for area residents and visitors. The Cable Area has become a tourist destination, an outdoor center for adventure, fitness, races, nature and wildlife, recreation, learning and art, and a desirable retirement community.

Initiatives:

  • Step it up in Cable

  • Community Conversations

  • Cable Bike Park: Building Skills, Bridging Generations

Green County

Population: 37,000
Lead Applicant: Green County Health Department

Green County is a deep-rooted farming community, with a diverse business community, rolling hills and a beautiful landscape. Located in Southwest Wisconsin, Albany, Belleville, Brodhead, Brooklyn, Browntown, Juda, Monroe, Monticello and New Glarus all add their small town charm and offer numerous outdoor activities and opportunities.

Initiatives:

  • “Growing” The Farmer’s Market
  • Investing in Breastfeeding
  • “Let’s Get Moo-ving” – Green County Wellness Week

Iowa County

Population: 23,654
Lead Applicant: Upland Hills Health

Iowa County is located in rural southwest Wisconsin. According to the County Health Rankings 2018, Iowa County ranks nineteen out of seventy two for health outcomes in the State of Wisconsin.

Initiatives:

  • Upland Hills Health Cancer Empowerment Program
  • Stop the Bleed
  • School Nutrition Education

Lodi

Population: 3,100
Lead Applicant: Reach Out Lodi

The City of Lodi is nestled in a peaceful valley approximately 25 miles northwest of Madison. We are an Ice Age Train Community surrounded by hiking and biking trails, and we’re situated ~6 miles from the free Merrimac Ferry. Our highly-ranked school district encompasses parts of surrounding towns and villages, and features STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) Labs in all four buildings. The School District of Lodi is fortunate to be a federal Drug Free Community grant recipient, supporting the Lodi Community Action Team (LCAT) coalition to successfully reduce youth use of alcohol, marijuana, and illicit prescription drugs. Lodi’s thriving group of service organizations and faith communities successfully work to support the community.

Initiatives:

  • Reach Out Community Center & Community Store

  • Ice Age National Scenic Trail- Lodi Chapter

  • Lodi Community Action Team (2007, grant in 2011)

Oconto Falls

Population: 2,800
Lead Applicant: Oconto Falls Area Chamber of Commerce

Located 28 miles north of Green Bay in southern Oconto County, the city of Oconto Falls is home to a diversified economy, from manufacturing and transportation to small businesses and restaurants. The river and the area’s natural resources provide the setting for recreation on the water, in the woods, and on the shore.

Initiatives:

  • Oconto Falls Area Trail System

  • Donate a Healthy Plate Toolkit

  • Stepping On for Older Adults’ Falls Prevention

  • Community Health and Safety Fair

Portage

Population: 10,324
Lead Applicant: Portage Area Chamber of Commerce

Portage is located along the corridors of I-39/90/94, offering small town charm with residential neighborhoods and growing commercial and industrial business sites, next to the beautiful Wisconsin and Fox Rivers. Outstanding schools, healthcare providers, recreational opportunities and cultural avenues are among the many distinguishing facets of life in Portage cherished by residents.

Initiatives:

  • Reducing alcohol, tobacco and other drug abuse

  • Reducing smoking in pregnant women

  • Decrease rate of drug overdose deaths from opioids

  • Free lunch to children during summer break and weekend snack packs during school

  • Improve mental health for children and adults

  • Provide dental care for children on a county wide basis to improve oral health

  • Access to free healthcare with weekly clinic by St. Vincent de Paul

Region of Boscobel, Fennimore & Muscoda

Population: 10,000
Lead Applicant: Gundersen Boscobel Area Hospital and Clinics

The communities of Boscobel, Fennimore and Muscoda are all small rural communities in Southwestern Wisconsin, yet each are unique. The City of Boscobel offers a variety of experiences, as historical, scenic, and recreational attractions create an outstanding little city. Fennimore is home to the 45-acre Oakwood Nature Park, a cornerstone of the city’s emphasis on the great outdoors and the priority of physical well-being. The Village of Muscoda is known as a strong farming/manufacturing community with a major industrial base.

Initiatives:

  • Improving and Increasing Behavioral Health Opportunities, including Behavioral Health Primary Care Integration

  • Sensory-Friendly Environment

  • Wellness Workshops

Region of Hillsboro, Elroy & Wonewoc

Population: 9,209
Lead Applicant: Healthy Neighborhood Coalition

Hillsboro, Elroy, and Wonewoc, a cluster of rural communities in West-Central Wisconsin that are divided by county borders but unified in the goal of improving the health of everyone by focusing on social and economic factors, access and quality of care, and providing education on healthy behaviors.

Initiatives:

  • Free health screenings

  • Provide nutritious low-cost food options through a food distribution

    program in association with a local food pantry

  • Exercise programming for older adults

  • School-based Mental Health Program

Richland County

Population: 18,000
Lead Applicant: Richland FIT

We are a rural county with beautiful geography and scenery, which people use for outdoor recreation like kayaking and bicycling. We have local food options for everything from produce, to dairy, to meat, to a grain mill that sells artisanal four and a weekly farmer’s market in season. Local healthcare is also a proud traditions with a 5-star nonprofit hospital and primary care accessible locally. . Different sectors in the county came together to create a coalition: Richland FIT. Since 2011, Richland FIT has worked to help address top community health needs.

Initiatives:

  • Mill Pond Community Garden

  • School Wellness Policy Research, Composure, and Implementation

  • Cancer and Obesity prevention partnership with GRACE

Sparta

Population: 9,600
Lead Applicant: Sparta Area Chamber of Commerce

Sparta is the county seat of Monroe County, nestled in the beautiful rolling hills of western Wisconsin along Interstate 90. Sparta is now most recognized as the junction of the Elroy-Sparta and La Crosse River bike trails and claimed as the “Bicycling Capital of America.”

Initiatives:

  • Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs
  • Community Centers
  • School Breakfast Programs
  • Chronic Disease Management Programs
  • Proper Drug Disposal Programs
  • Healthy Food Initiatives in Food Banks

Stoughton

Population: 20,000
Lead Applicant: Stoughton Wellness Coalition/Stoughton Hospital

Stoughton is a vibrant historic community, centrally located between Madison and Janesville with a strong Norwergian Heritage. Stoughton is home to the headquarters of numerous international businesses and a robust manufacturing industry.

Initiatives:

  • Dementia Friendly

  • Alcohol and drug prevention

  • Support for chronic health conditions

  • Coordination of social and economic supports

  • Access to mental and physical health care